Marine salvage device



June 16, 1 931.

F. G. PRESTON MARINE SALVAGE DEVICE Filed April 22, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR FRANK G. PRESTON BY wagmm ATTORN EY June 16, 1931 F. G. PRESTON 1,810,084

MARINE SALVAGE DEVICE Filed April 22, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR FRANK G. PRESTON, OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON, .ASSIGNQR F ONE-HALE MARKER, OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON Patented June 16, 19371 sates TO JOHN 1v.

MARINE SALVAGE DEVICE I Application filed. April 22,

' that character especially designed for use on submarine vessels; it beingthe principal object of this invention to provide submarine vessels With manually and automatically releasable buoys designed to mark the location of a vessel in the event that it should become disabled and sink, and also to attach the buoys by means of cables through which communication could be established with the occupants of the sunken vessel and also'which would serve as pilot cables-by means of which grappling devices, at the ends of heavy hoisting or towing cables, could be easily and quickly attached to the service of divers. V

More specifically stated, the present invention resides in the provision of a salvage and safety device of the above character, including a housing that is permanently fixed within the hull or deck of a vessel and within which an air-tight buoy is releasably contained; the buoy being automatically releasable by outside pressure created incident to the vessel sinking below a predetermined depth, or it may be manually released from serves as a pilot cable along which heavy grappling devices may be guided to and connected with the sunken vessel.

Another object of the invention resides; in the novel construction of the grappling hook used with the salvage mechanism. I

Other objects of the invention reside in the various details of construction and in thecombination of parts and in' their mode of operation, as will "hereinafter be described.

In accomplishing these objects'of the invention, I have provided the improved de tails of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a view illustrating the use of a salvage deviceembodied by the present invention, for marking the location of a sunken vessel without the 1929. -Serial No. 357,065.

submarine vessel and also for the attachment of a pontoon thereto. I I

Figure 2 is an enlarged, sectional detail of the marking buoy as normally assembled within its housing; showing the attaching cable as wound on the reel within the buoy.

Figure 3 is a sectional detail of the grapi "with which the present device is used; As

here illustrated, the vessel is of the submarine type, but it is to be understood that the I present salvage device may be applied toany kind of marine vessel and it is not intended that'its use be limited to submarines, although it isbelieved that it is of greatest value to this type of vessel. Secured within the deck 2 of the vessel, is a housing 3 substantially of cylindrical form and having a somewhat restricted upper end, or neck portion, 3a that opens throughthe deck and which has an outturned peripheral flange 4 through which rivets, orrthe like, 5 are extended to securely fasten the housing within the vessel. A horizontal partition 6 divides the housing into upper and lower compartments 7 and8, respectively the latter compartment being relatively smalland is designed to be used as a chamber for compressed air which is delivered thereto from a source of supply through a supply pipe 9,; this plpe being equipped with a control valve 10 which may be opened to charge the chamber and closed to retain the charge. A pipe connection 11 continues from the supply pipe 9 into the upper chamber 7 of the housing, but a flow of compressedair from the lower chamber into the upper chamber is normally prevented by means of a controlvalve 12 that is interposed within the pipe connectionll. The valve 12 is designed to be opened and closed by rotative movement of a bell crank 13 that is fixed to the stem 14015 the valve.

Slidably fitted within the upper end, or neck portion, 3a of the housing 3, is a hollow, cylindrical buoy 18 of air-tight construction and which, within its lower end portion, rotatably supports a reel 19 on which a relatively small cable 20 of considerable length is wound. At its inner end, the cable is-t'astened to the reel and at its outer end is connected to one end of a heavy, metallic link 21 which, in turn, is fastened to a short length of heavy cable 22 that is coiled within the base of the compartment 7 and which,.at its end, is permanently fastened by means o'f-a-n eye bolt 23 to the partition wall 6 of the housing.

Mounted slidably within an opening '26 through a side wall of the housing,is a slide 27 having a cam-like head 28 at its inner end against which a spring 29 that is disposed between the head and housing wall bears to urge the slide inwardly. The head 28 of the slide 27 is disposed in alinement .below a curved, cam-like surface SOat the lower end of the buoy, which is designed, as presently is apparent, to engage with the slide head when the buoy is depressed to thereby cause the head and slide to be moved outwardly.

Pivotally mounted onthe outer end of the slide, is a bell crank '31 having ahookedarni 31a adapted to hookover the-upper end of an arm 13aof the bell crank 13 that is fixed tothe stem of the control valve 12; the arrangement being such that outward movement of the slide will operatetorotate and open the valve 12 to admit compressed air through the pipe connection ll-from the lower chamber 8 into the upper chamber 7, for the purpose of forcibly ejecting the buoy from the housing. If it should be desired to manually release the buoy 18, this may be done by the shifting of a lever 35 which has a notch 36 in its. upper edge adapted to be interlocked with a hook 37 that is pivotally attached to a leg 31?) of the'bell crank 31that is fi-Xedt-othe outer end of the slide 27.

Assuming that the buoy :and the housing are so constructed and assembled, should the vessel which is equipped withthe device sink below the surface a predetermined distance, it is apparent that pressure of outside water against the upper end of the buoy 18 .avill force it inwardly, therebybringingthe cam surface 30 into contact with the head :28 of the slide 27 to push the latter outwardly and thereby automatically open the :control valve 12 for the admittance of compressedair-from the chamber 7 into the chamber 8 :tor the forcible ejection of the buoy. As soon as the buoy has once been discharged from its housing, it rises to the surface and, as-itrises, the cable 20 unwinds from the reel 19. The buoy, since it is attached to the sunken vessehserues to, mark the location of thelatter.

As the buoy rises to the surface,the cable 20 draws out the relatively short but heavy connecting cable 22 with which it is connected by means of the link 21. The link 21, as is presently descibed in detail, serves as a means for efiecting connection of a grappling device used in raising the vessel. The link, as shown in Figure 3, is equipped with a conically tapered head end 21 and this is provided, at its apex, with an opening 24a within which the cable 20 is attached and, at its base, the head portion 24 has an encircling, undercut shoulder 25.

It is intended also that the buoy be equipped with an electric light 10 and that "there-be red glass lenses 41 mounted in open- .ings 4.2 in the side walls of the buoy through which the light may be visible to attract at- .tention tothe buoy. The buoyattaching ca- .bl-e 20 also .would contain circuit .wires through which telephone communication might be carried on between occupants of the sunken vessel and those 1 of ,a {rescue vessel. Electric current for the-lamp in the buoy might be provide through circuit wires earvricdwithin the cable 120 and having connection with an outlet 44in the housing with which a-sou-rce of electric current. could be attached.

For t-heipurpose of automatically opening thevalve 13 by water; pressure in the event {that water -.shoul'd enter the sunken vessel. I haveprovided a cylinder -50 attael-ledz to the housing ,3 andZin-Which 1a piston :51 operates. A piston rod.52=-eXtendsoutwardly from the closed upper end of the cylinderifor engaging :a-n-iarm 13b 'Ofrtfih8'bellrc'l'ilil lk 13.t,o open the valve 112. I

,f-Assuniing that .the vessel -SlTflkS18I-ld that the buoy has "been rel-eased I and ej ec-ted and -has-risenrto:the :su-rfiace, the cable 20 for attachi-ng ititvill then serve-as a pilot cable along which :a; gnappli-ngdevice may be lowcred and connected vwithv the link 21 for raisin-g 'the sunken vessel. The pnete-rred torm ot gnappling device is shownin Figure 3wand it consists: otwa-n: upper end yoke 59 to which a heavy'hoisting cable as {at 60 in Figure 1, nay be attached. E'lotheend portions ots the yoke, :two or more downwardly extended, hook-like fi-ngers: 63==are pivotally connected. A spring- 365 is attached at its ends: to the fin gers and draws them inwardly to-wardeach :other. Thegr-appling hook istappl-iedqabout the pilotcable bypassing the latter through an eye 66 in=the:y oke and a guide 67-that is formed betweenthe lowerendportion oi; the fingers. Thecable serves-as aguide on-wh-ich thegrapple may belowered overthe conical head 124-3 of the link 21: and, gas the fingers 63 pass downwardly over the :head,-their hooklike lower G'Ildi portions 63a will snap beneath thecundercut shoulder of the headvand :fo-rm substantial connection between the:v hoisting cable and the cable 22.

'With'several-of such hoisting 1 cables conneeted with the -vessel in 1 the unanner :de-

seribed itis readily apparentthat the vessel can be raised suificiently for towing it. Pontoons 70, as shown in Figure 1, might be used for supporting the vessel and it would be prepacking rings, as at 75, be fitted in the buoy to prevent leakage between the latter and the neck portion of the housing within which it is fitted. It is also apparent that various details of construction in the valve mecha nism and the means for opening and closing it could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and, for this reason, it is not desired that the claims be limited only to the details herein shown.

Should it be desired to disconnect the arm 31a of the bell crank 31 from the arm 13a of bell crank 13, so as to prevent operation of the device during ordinary diving operations, this is easily done by drawing the hook 37 to the dotted line position of Figure 2.

Devices of this character maybe made in various sizes and if sufliciently large may be equipped with manholes, as at 80, with suitable removably mounted closures 81,

through which escape may be'made or ar-" ticles delivered into or from the vessel.

Having thus described my. invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. In amarine vessel, a housing, a buoy releasably and movably contained therein, means rendered active by inward depression of the buoy incident to external, pressure thereagainst for ejecting the buoy from the housing, and a cable connection between the buoy and the housing.

2. In a marine vessel, a housing, a buoy releasably and movably contained therein, means rendered active by inward depression of the buoy beyond normal position for ej ecting the buoy from the housing, a section of hoisting cable having one end attached to the vessel, a buoy anchoring cable attached at its ends to the buoy and to the free end of said section of hoisting cable to draw out the latter incident to ejection of the buoy for attachment of a grapple thereto.

3. In a marine vessel, a housing fixed therein and havingan opening, a buoy contained within the housing and movably fitted in the opening, means releasable incident to certain depression of the buoy within the housing to effect a forcible ejection of the buoy, a section of hoisting cable contained within the housing and having one end fixed thereto, a link attached to the free end of said cable, an anchoring cable for the buoy attached to the free end of said link and whereby the hoisting cable will be drawn out incident to rise of thebuoy after ejection,and a grapple adapted to follow along the anchoring cable into an interlocked connection with said link.

4. In a marine vessel, an air-tight housing having an opening, a buoy fitted in said opening to be ejected by application of pressure, medium within the housing, a source of compress-ed fluid medium connected with the housing, a control valve in the connection and means operable incident to depression of the buoy in the housing to open said valve.

5. In a marine vessel, an air-tight housing having an opening, a buoy fitted in said opening to be ejected by application of pressure medium within the housing, a source of compressed fluid medium connected with the housing, a control valve in the connection and means operable incident to depression of the buoy in the housing to open said valve,

and a buoy anchoring cable attached atits ends to the buoy and to a part attached to-the housing.

6. In a marine vessel, an air-tight housing having an opening, a compartment for com pressed air formed within thehousing, a buoy movably fitted within the opening of the housing, a connection through which compressed air may be admitted from the compartment into the housing to effect a forcible ejection of the buoy, a valve in'said connection, means operable incident to depression of the buoy byexternal pressure to open said valve and ananchoring cable within thebuoyhaving connection at its ends with the buoy and with the housing. I

7. In a marine vessel, a buoy housing having an opening, a buoy slidably fitted in said opening to move inwardly under outside pressure and adapted to be ejected by the application of fluid pressure medium within the housing, a cable for anchoring the buoy to the vessel, a source of pressure medium connected with the housing, a valve in the connection. 7

a slide in the housing disposed to be engaged and moved by the buoy incident to inward movement of the latter and means operable by movement of the slide to open the valve to admit pressure medium to the housing to eject the buoy.

8. In a marine vessel, a buoy housing having an opening, a buoy slidably fitted in said pressure and adapted to be ejected by application of fluid pressure medium within the housing, a source of pressure medium connect-ed with the housing, a valve in the connection, a valve actuating lever, a slide mounted in the housing and having an inner end portion adapted to be engaged by the opening to move inwardly under outside 7 within the buoy and connecting vthe latter withthe housing.

9. In a marine vessel, a buoy housing having an opening, a buoy slidably fitted in said opening to move inwardly under outside pressure and adapted to be ejected by application .of fluid pressuremedium within the'housing, a sourceof pressure medium connected with the housing, a valve in the connection, a valve actuating lever, a slide mounted in the housing and having an inner end portion adapted to be engaged by the buoy incident to inward movement of the latter tolthereby move the slide outwardly, means on the slide for engaging the valve lever to open the valve by outward movement of the slide, a reel within the buoy, an anchoring cable wound on the reel and having one end connected thereto, a

short lengthiof hoisting cable in the housing andconnectedat one end thereto, a link attached to the freeend of said hoisting cable having an enlargement to which the reel anchoring cable is attached; said hoisting cable being adapted to be drawn out by the buoy anchoring cable and the latter vbeing adapted to serve as a pilot for guiding a grapple into an interlocked connection with the enlarge- .ment of the link.

10. In a marine vessel, an air-tight housing having an opening, a buoy slidably fitted in said opening to be moved inwardly by external pressure and to be ejected by application of pressure medium within thehousing, a source of compressedfluid medium connected with the housing, a valve in the connection, a slide movable incident to inward movement ofthe buoy in the opening, a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder movable incident to ex ternal pressure, a manually shiftable element and a valve control means operable by .the slide or by the manual means or by the piston. to open the valve.

.Signed at Tacoma, day of April, 1929.

v FRANK .Gr. PRESTON.

Washington, this 10th 

